Driftwood
by Karma's Pet
Summary: Mal and his crew take a job that involves people who know Simon and River.This is technically my first Firefly fic. Please R&R.
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own the characters to "Firefly".**

A young girl of seventeen was moving about the hangar of the boat she had lived on for some time. She was gracefully floating with a dancer's ease. Her eyes were closed as she maneuvered around the many craters that filled the hangar. Only she could hear the music that was enveloping her mind. She started to move faster with each beat that echoed throughout the abyss of her head. The music so loud that she didn't realize that someone was speaking to her.

"River!" The girl stopped her dancing and looked up at the owner of the voice. "Supper is ready. Come up so we can all eat." The girl looked around- searching for the place where she had been. When she slipped back into reality, the owner of the voice was gone. She silently walked up the steps to the catwalk and continued until she found a hiding spot that was close enough to the galley to hear the conversation that was going on inside.

"How is River doing with her medication?" Shepherd asked with concern.

"She's doing better but the side effects are affecting her more." Simon said.

"Is there really that much it could effect?" Mal asked.

"I really don't know. Whatever they did to her it was horrible." Simon answered. There was a brief silence before he continued; "Where's River?"

"I'll go look for her Doc. She's probably messing with something she's not supposed to." Mal said, his voice growing louder as he slowly neared River's hiding spot. He walked along the passageway and stopped. He turned around and looked right into her eyes. She got up and followed him. They walked some ways down the passage.

"Why you hiding?" Mal asked, turning on his heel to face her.

"To hear what they really think."

* * *

Inara and Kaylee were dancing around in the biggest room in the boat: the hangar. Kaylee grabbed Simon's hand and led him to the middle where they did a quick jig- nothing glamorous, just simple. Simon backed away and left to go find his sister. River jumped up from where she was hiding on the floor and mimicked the dance she witnessed.

"You're a good dancer, River." Kaylee said. The girl gave the friendly mechanic a warm smile.

"Kaylee, we're arriving at Osiris in four days. Check to see if we need any supplies," someone said from behind the three women. They all turned to see Mal there, "Inara if you have any clients scheduled, you can contact them there." He turned on his heel and headed towards the bridge.

"We'll see you later River." Inara bade her a wave with Kaylee following at her side. The girl walked to her dorm and lay down on her bed, closing her eyes.

She cycled through her surrogate family's thoughts. They each had little secrets of their own. Inara was judging who to spend her time on the planet with. Kaylee was going through what they needed once they got to Osiris. Jayne was in his bunk, doing his routine cleaning of the numerous weapons he secretly carried. Wash was playing with the toy dinosaurs that were always with him on the bridge. Book was reading the bible that she believed made no sense. Mal was figuring out what job they could do.

But she decided to search his mind even further. Through the past on his home planet. What it felt like volunteering to fight against the Alliance. Being a Browncoat. Meeting Zoe and fighting in the war with her. Buying _Serenity_. Meeting Wash, Jayne, Kaylee, and Inara. That life changing day when Book, Simon, and herself arrived.

She searched further in his mind. She found something that deeply interested her. Something very interesting. Simon would be disappointed in her following actions but it would help the captain.

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: I hope you like.**


	2. Chapter 2

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Firefly or anything affiliated with it. The idea, however, is MINE!**

Mal was in his dorm lying down about to go to sleep when he heard the door open. He quietly got up and walked to the bottom of the ladder. He looked up to see nothing there, except for the little light that was being used. He knew someone was also in the room. He inched towards his weapon but a slight noise came from his bed. In a quick motion, he turned the light on and drew his weapon.

River was sitting cross-legged on his bed in the dead center. Her eyes were wide as if she were looking at her death. He put the weapon back in its holster and looked at her.

"Sorry about that. Didn't mean to scare you." Walking over to his bed, he sat down but close to the edge, as not to touch River. "What are you doing in here?"

"I read your thoughts. It's something you have imagined in your dreams and whenever I come by. You don't have to sit so far away. I'm not a walking disease." Mal moved a bit closer to the young girl.

She started to cry softly, barely noticeable. Lying down on side of the bed, she touched his arm signaling he could lie down also. Sliding down to reach where her head was, Mal kissed her forehead and put a blanket over her. Within minutes both of them were asleep and quite comfortable.

* * *

Mal woke up to find himself alone. Changing quickly, he climbed up the ladder and went to River's room. Jayne met him halfway.

"I hear we're going to be in Osiris. What do we do with the doc and his sister?"

Mal was getting frustrated, "You know what we're going to do. They're goin' to stay on the boat." He swept past Jayne, who turned with an astonished look on his face.

"Where you going?"

"Jayne, go see if Wash needs help or something."

"He's probably goin' to go grapple someone." Jayne mumbled under his breath while walking towards the engine room.

Mal made it to the room and quietly knocked as to not wake the girl just in case she was sleeping. To his surprise, Simon opened the door.

"Yes?" The doctor asked inquiringly. Mal had to think right on the spot. This would be easier in front of a bunch of thieves like himself, but in front of the doctor it was a bit harder. River came into view behind her brother.

"He wants to make sure we know that the _Serenity's _course is for Osiris." River said with happiness. "We get to see mother and father."

"So you plan for us to stay on the ship?" Simon asked.

"Only if you want to." Mal said.

"We are going to stay on the ship." Simon said in a tone that he had never used before- a that's-the-way-it's-gonna-be-because-I-wanna-protect-River sort of tone.

It seemed unusual to Mal as he walked away. Usually, Simon would want for them to get off the boat whenever they could. This time however he was refusing to get off when he could.


	3. Chapter 3

**DISCLAIMER: I unfortunatley do not own Firefly. do you know who cool that would be though?**

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thanks for the reviews. I really appreciate it. Hope you guys like this chapter.**

_Serenity_ arrived on the planet Osiris ahead of schedule, which didn't upset anyone really. The main reason why the crew stopped there was for a mission. It wasn't their usual undertaking, but the people were going to give them a lot of money.

The search part of the mission was to look for two siblings who had run away. The parents hadn't seen one of them in a long time. So they went secretly into the underworld of crime and was able to find Captain Mal Reynolds and his rag tag team of criminals.

It took them a while to figure out that they couldn't do it by themselves without getting their reputations in trouble. They were the type of people that would never risk their reputation, unlike their children.

But as they walked along the tar mat, they tried to fit in by wearing clothes that they assumed would be worn. They actually did do a good job completing the seemingly simple task. They approached an outside bar where they were going to meet the captain and his crew. They noticed a muscular guy that looked like he was in a bad mood and a small, mousy girl with a huge smile on her face. They approached the pair cautiously. When they got there, the girl had a bigger smile on her face.

"Hi. Cap'n decided it where better to meet outside the boat. It's more secure that way. Or at least for him." She said sweetly. The muscular guy didn't say anything but got up and lead the way towards the boat.

The pair led the couple to the junky boat. A black woman came out of the hangar of the boat. She looked as if she had gone through a lot of years at war, maybe even the Unification War. "Jayne, go get the Captain. He'll want to meet them." The couple assumed that the woman meant the young girl, but the man went instead.

They all stood there quietly until the girl spoke up. "I'll go get Simon. He may want to meet you." The girl set off in the direction Jayne went. All was quiet inside the boat and it was loud outside. The girl came back but with the man named Simon. The doctor quickly recognized the couple as his parents.

"Mother. Father." Simon said in disbelief.

"Simon? How did you get on this ship?" His father said, while hugging his son.

"Where's your sister?" His mother asked in unison.

* * *

_**Meanwhile**_

River was in the galley coloring circles on a piece of paper. All the circles were different colors. They all represented something different. Mal sat next to her and gave her something to drink.

"Why'd you leave couple nights ago?" Mal asked. This was the only opportunity he had to talk to River without Simon or anyone else interfering.

"I didn't want to get you in trouble." River smiled at the captain. "Simon's stronger than you think."

"Well then I'll just keep that in mind." Mal said with his usual cocky smile. She continued to laugh and moved her chair closer. She rested her head on his shoulder and hummed a song that was in her head. Jayne came in at the worst possible moment in Mal's mind.

"That couple we're working for is on the ramp with Zoe. They seem pretty stuck up." Mal started to laugh. Jayne thought everyone was stuck up.

"Alright. Are you comin', River?" Mal asked as the girl was standing up.

"Ready cap'n." River seemed more cheerful than usual. This scared Mal and Jayne. River led the way out of the galley, with the other two behind her.

"The girl looked like she just grappled someone." Jayne said inappropriately.

"Why would you care?" Mal asked.

"I don't know it would be funny to know." Jayne ran into River who was standing in the middle of the entrance of the ramp. "Gorramit why did you stop?"

"River?" Mal asked, he followed her eyes to see what she was looking at. The girl had her eyes trained on the couple that Simon was hugging.

"Simon." Her voice sounded tiny compared to its usual tone. Her brother was able to her even if she spoke quietly.

"River, it's mother and father." Her mother cooed to see if it would help the seventeen-year-old girl. Her mother moved towards her but River moved defensively behind Mal.

"Who are you?" Her mother asked.

"I'm Malcolm Reynolds, captain of _Serenity_." He said defensively.

"Well we thank you for taking our children on board. But they must leave now." Their father seemed to be thankful, while the mother looked disgustingly at the boat.

"River, you have to go home now." Her mother said softly to the girl. River didn't move at all.

"River, you must come home." She continued. She took the girl's hand and led her away. River quickly released herself from her mother's grip and ran into the arms of the captain. She wrapped her arms around his waist tightly. He wasn't taken back, since nothing really did surprise him anymore about the girl. Instead, he just rested his arms around her.

"Well it looks like they don't want to leave." Her father chuckled. Her mother looked disapprovingly at the way the captain was holding her daughter.

"How about you come on _Serenity_. She may not want to say goodbye just yet." Mal suggested. In reality it was really he who didn't want to say goodbye to the younger Tam.


	4. Chapter 4

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Firefly...unfortunately.**

The crew of _Serenity_ was sitting on one side of the table in the galley while the Tams were sitting on the other. River had her head down and was muttering nonsense. None of it made any sense, but then again that was the way she usually talked.

"So why don't you start off with why you wanted my crew to look for Simon and River. But first how about your names." Mal asked.

"I am Megan Tam and this is Gabriel." She laid a hand on her husband. "We want our children back. Simon left a prominent career in medicine. River was enjoying herself at the Academy."

"Enjoying herself? She's like this because of the Academy. The Alliance did this, mother." Simon was angry with his parents for being so naïve.

"Inara." Mal said from where he was seated. He could tell that they were going onto the subject or River and the Academy. Even though he knew the Companion for a short period of time, she knew what he was talking about.

Inara walked over to River and gently took her shoulders, "River, why don't you come with me." The girl allowed herself to be taken away but stopped talking to herself.

Waiting until after the pair left, Mal spoke up, "You can't take them." As much as Simon was a pain, River would never stay on the boat without him. Everyone seemed surprised at Mal's response. Simon looked at him in admiration.

"Excuse me. You're not their parents. Also, we know what is right for Simon's career and River's sake." Gabriel wasn't so happy anymore. He stood up and was ready to pounce on the crew. "Now where is my daughter? Where did that Companion take her?"

"How'd you know 'Nara was a Companion?" Kaylee asked.

"We wouldn't ask a crew to search for our children without looking into their past." Megan said matter-of-factly.

"Then you should leave." Jayne leaned forward with his hands on the table. Before anyone could make a comment on his reaction, Inara ran into the galley.

"River's gone. She snuck out somehow." She looked around at the crew with bewilderment on her face. The crew ran out of the galley, followed by the Tams. Wash lowered the ramp onto the planet as everyone rushed out calling the young girl's name.

"Maybe we should go check home. I mean where we used to live." Simon suggested.

"She probably doesn't remember where that is." Wash reputed.

"The girl's pretty smart. She may find her way back." Zoë said.

"At least she knows where she belongs." Gabriel exerted.

"Let's just go and find her." Simon said.

"It would probably be best to split up. Cover more ground. We'll meet back in thirty." Mal told his crew, including Gabriel and Megan.

* * *

River roamed the streets of the city that she no longer knew the name of. It seemed so big but so crowded. All the sorrows of the people were invading her mind. A whore passed by with a young Alliance officer on her arm. She was very sick but unfortunately she needed the money. The Alliance officer didn't notice her; this suited her perfectly fine. He was too engrossed with his whore that there could be a gunfight and he wouldn't notice.

River decided to take a short cut to the place she used to call home. She could have probably run there but her energy was placed elsewhere, as if it were being stored for an emergency. This, she thought, was not an emergency. Two men were following her very closely. She smiled at the pair's stupidity.

"Hey little girl. How would you like to take a row with me?" The first one asked.

"No she would want with me. She looks like a weak girl." The second one said.

"You don't know the power I possess. It's so great. I could kill you both with my mind." River said sweetly.

"Is that power to make us feel pleasure?" The first one asked. This particular person liked to ask a lot of questions.

Finally bored with all the talking that was going on, River decided to take action. She kicked the first one in the groin and punched him in the jaw. He was quickly knocked out cold. The second one decided to stick around.

"You should probably leave now." A voice said from behind him. The man turned to see Mal there with his pistol drawn from its holster. "Either you're going to leave or I'm taking the girl right now."

"Well what's wrong with having a little fun." The man took River by the waist and tried to touch her inapporiately. He turned to Mal, "Would you like to join me." He in turn pulled out a firearm, shot the Captain, and, in a flash let go of a very shocked River and left the alley.

The girl crawled to where Mal was lying, bleeding from his abdomen. He pulled out a miniature transmitter that was in contact with _Serenity_. Without being told, she relayed the coordinates of where she was and several minutes later, they were back on board. As River walked through the hangar following Simon and Jayne who were carrying the wounded Mal, she noticed her parents were still there. She didn't care if they were there or not. All she wanted was for Simon to heal Mal. She stopped halfway to the infirmary and made her way back to the hangar and spread herself out on several boxes.

Her mother came up to her with a false maternal feel. "River, why'd you run away?"

"To see what would happen." The girl responded and turned to face the other direction and sleep. She felt she had been asleep for only several moments when Book came to wake her up.

"River, Simon is done with the surgery. The Captain's going to be alright." Book told her with a reassuring smile. Returning the smile, she ran to the infirmary but stopped short when she reached the doors. Looking through the windows, it was a foreboding place but it didn't seem to really matter. She quietly walked in and sat down next to him.

Mal had woken up and gently took the girl's hand. She was startled since she didn't expect him to be awake for several more hours. 

"How are you feeling?" River asked gently.

"Well I just got shot and not feeling too good." Mal responded with a sleepy smile. River's eyes started to water and she began to cry silently. "What's wrong?" Mal asked as he sat up on his left elbow.

"I'm sorry." The girl quietly said as she left the room. Mal just stared at her retreating back.

**A/N: Please R&R. I'll try to remember to respond.**


	5. Chapter 5

**DISCLAIMER: Once again I do not own this show.**

A day after Mal's surgery, the Tams decided to return home even if it was without their children. They were going to leave in little over an hour. River didn't see them the whole time they were present on the boat. Her mother, however, thought it would be better to say good-bye to her daughter in a private meeting.

Megan Tam sat on a small chair that was across from River in the girl's room. "I wanted to say goodbye without all the crying."

"Who said I would cry?" River said effortlessly. She wanted her parents to leave quickly. They invaded the family she had made on _Serenity_.

"I know I will." Megan said trying hard to get her daughter's attention. There was a soft knock on the door and the caller opened it. River didn't look at who it was but she could tell by the way her mother reacted.

"Hello Captain Reynolds." Megan said coldly. River knew that her mother disapproved of the way that the Captain looked at her daughter.

"Sorry if I'm interrupting. I'll come back later." Mal said nicely. He turned on his heel when her mother started talking again.

"No. I was just ready to say goodbye to Simon. You can talk with her." Megan got up, walked to her daughter and kissed her softly on the forehead. "Goodbye and hopefully our paths meet again." She exited the room, giving Mal a cold look. He noticed she didn't close the door and did so himself.

"Hello Captain." River said with a small voice. She got up and faced him. "You look better."

"Yeah Doc said I can move about now. Decided to see you first."

"That was nice of you." River turned her back and picked up the small transmitter. She turned it in her hands while Mal started to talk again.

"It wasn't your fault no matter what you think. Your brother patched me up like what he's done with every one else on the crew. I'm fine now." Mal walked towards her and gently turned her around. She put her head in his chest and started to cry. They stood there for several moments until Mal took his chance and lightly kissed the girl. She returned the kiss patiently, not wanting to let him go. They only separated when they couldn't breathe anymore.

"Aren't you something else, then." Mal said, catching his breath.

"My parents want to say goodbye. I'll allow them if you want me to." River said looking up at him. Reluctantly, he let go of her and opened the door so that both of them could go to the hangar.

Once there, they noticed that the Tams were being more respectful to the rest of the crew. They had say goodbye to Simon already and were ready to bid farewell to their daughter.

Her father came up to her, gave her a quick hug and released, "I hope you're happy here. It doesn't seem like much but if it's home then alright." River gave her father a giant smile. He let his wife come to River.

"Be very safe. If something happens and everyone is wounded or killed, run away. Just leave you can let them die." Her mother gave her a small smile and hugged her too. "Watch out for your brother." She whispered and also, "Whatever is going on between you and the captain just make sure it's nothing bad."

"I'll be careful don't worry about it. The crew's a great family." River gave a huge smile and hugged both her parents at the same time. They left and Wash pushed the button to bring up the cargo ramp and turned to face his surrogate family.

"Where we headed to?"

**A/N: This was the last chapter you could review to.**


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